


The Joy of Christmas Stays Here Inside Us

by dorkpatroller



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Other, Some angst, hurt comfort, i took extreme liberties with this backstory, its completely hit or miss, that stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 15:28:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17327588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorkpatroller/pseuds/dorkpatroller
Summary: Maybe Christmas doesn't exist at all, but it's like beauty. In the eye of the beholder, you know?





	The Joy of Christmas Stays Here Inside Us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lieano](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lieano/gifts).



His life ended in New York, and so did his career. He was never supposed to fall this far from grace. It wasn’t until he was sitting alone on Christmas in a bar that he really decided that the holiday was made up. There’s nothing special to celebrate when you don’t have friends or family to pour all your money into. Sure, there were good memories. His career was thriving. He was in love. He was going to propose to his girlfriend.

He’s not one to say he’s never made a mistake. There’s nothing like drinking alone on Christmas to really drive home the fact that your life is terrible and it’s all your fault. But it’s not  _ exclusively _ his fault. He was run out of that town by Peter Parker, and Eddie is never going to forgive him for that.

.

There's something eerily familiar about this Christmas. Probably because he's spending it the same way he spent it years earlier. Alone and broken. The same trailer, it's just a different park. There's something about what Annie said to him that won't shake free from his mind, though.

It’s his fault. She said he can’t really blame anyone else. Not his past, not his boss, not that creep running the Life Foundation. It’s his fault. And she’s right, you know? He thought he turned his life around. He had a new job, a new love of his life, a new everything. This was different.

But it wasn’t different. Eddie Brock is the same idiot now that he was all those years ago, and if you ask him he probably deserves to be alone on this fake ass holiday.

.

**Eddie.**

Eddie groans but he turns over in bed and tucks the pillow around his head. The noise isn’t coming from outside, of course, but he can still try. It doesn’t work.

**Eddie.**

“Alright,” Eddie croaks. He swallows a few times but he needs a glass of water to soothe his dry mouth. Not that he wants one. He just wants to go back to sleep and ignore it. Venom, as it happens, is one thing he’s never been able to ignore. “Whaddaya want?”

**It is Christmas.**

Eddie’s eyes pop open. Huh. Yeah, it is Christmas. It sort of snuck up on him this year, and he doesn’t feel like he’s living in a shit show like last year, but it still makes him hesitant to get out of bed. Maybe he can stay in bed all day and pretend it doesn’t matter that it’s the  _ most wonderful _ time of the year.

**Do not go back to sleep.**

_ Really tired, babe. _

**It is time to open presents.**

“Ughhhhhh,” Eddie whines. “V, I didn’t get you anything. There are no presents. Go back to sleep.”

**We know you didn’t. You’re awful. Doesn’t matter. Love you anyway, we got** **_you_ ** **a present.**

Eddie just wants to sleep so badly, but between his curiosity and the fact that Venom is literally pulling him out of bed with his own limbs, he supposes he has to. He yawns, clears his throat, and sleepily shoves his hand up under his shirt to scratch his belly. When he’s done with all that he’s staggering into his living room and he has to stop everything to figure out what in the world happened.

He didn’t decorate, but someone sure did. There are paper chains hung up like garlands and cut up out of yesterday’s newspaper. He doesn’t have a Christmas Tree, but the potted plant he forgot to water and let die again is wrapped in smaller versions of those chains. The television is already on, and an old stop-motion holiday cartoon from way back when Eddie was a kid is on, quietly. The only Christmas Lights he owns are purple, and technically for Halloween, but they’re strung up from the ceiling haphazardly. It actually looks less like someone decorated for Christmas and more like a drunk man with no idea what Christmas is or means tried to guess what the decorations were for.

Ah.

No wonder he’s so tired. “Did you take my body on a joyride last night so you could do this?”

**Maybe.**

“Well it looks like shit darling, why am I so tired?” He’s mostly kidding. It does look bad but the swell of warmth and pride in him just knowing that Venom went out of his way for him kills his insult. He lays his hand over his chest where he feels it settle under his skin. “Best gift ever,” He says softer.

**PAH. This isn’t your gift. Your gift is under the tree.**

Oh. Eddie looks at the dead plant and sure enough, there's a little box under it. He walks closer and picks it up. Feels like a jewelry box. He settles down on the sofa and plucks open the newspaper wrapping.

Venom took him out of the house last night. That properly explains why he’s exhausted. It doesn’t matter, though. He opens the box unsure what to expect, but he actually finds jewelry. It’s a black, cord bracelet, but there’s a metal and glass, oblong charm that makes up the most of it. When Eddie turns it over in his hand to get a better look, he notices that it has a galaxy design to it.

He wears bracelets, and this looks like it would match his style just fine. It’s just that he’s not sure why Venom would do this.

He’s about to ask when he has his whole mind taken over. His eyes go blank because Venom is replaying one of their memories in such vivid detail that it’s like watching a movie. The night they met, being chased out of the Life Foundation, and one glimpse up at the constellations shining in the sky.

Oh again. Eddie looks back down at the bracelet that matches his memory just right. “This is… Huh. This is the most romantic thing anyone’s  _ ever _ done for me, and I’ve been almost married twice now.”

He looks down at his hand while Venom makes a slim, black band circle around his ring finger. Then he smiles.

**You have only shared this strong of a bond with someone once.**

They make a good point. This is kind of the first Christmas he’s ever had where he’s got his life right. Well, as right as it’s ever gonna be. He’s in love, committed to someone he  _ knows _ will be with him forever. He’s got a home, shitty or not. He’s climbing back up to a new career. He’s happy.

Maybe the spirit of Christmas isn't dead after all. He stands up after he puts the bracelet on his wrist. "Alright. Well, I'm the worst other half to have in this world because I didn't get you anything. So let’s go play in the snow, get some cocoa. Anything you want.”

**Hm. Anything?**

He looks at that makeshift ring on his finger again, and then he nods his head. “Anything in the world for you, darling.”

 


End file.
